Magnetic threshold construction

ABSTRACT

A threshold assembly which includes a stationary lower threshold plate and a resiliently mounted upper sealing member, one of which incorporates a magnet so that the sealing member is brought into sealing engagement with the lower threshold plate by magnetic attraction when the door with which the assembly is associated is closed. A ferrous backing strip may be installed with the magnet to concentrate the magnetic flux field and increase the strength of the magnet and, if the member opposite the magnet is constructed of a nonferrous material, a second strip of ferrous material is mounted in that member.

United States Patent [72] lnventor John M. Protzman Dayton, Ohio [21] Appl. No. 867,485 [22] Filed Oct. 20, 1969 [45] Patented Sept. 14, I971 [73] Assignee The Ever-Roll Manufacturing Corporation Dayton, Ohio [54] MAGNETIC THRESHOLD CONSTRUCTION 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 49/470, 49/478 [51] Int. Cl. E06b 1/70 [50] Field of Search 49/470, 469, 467, 478, 488, 493

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,984 2/1960 Jecmen 49/488 X 3,346,994 10/1967 Kesler 49/470 2,611,158 9/1952 Gregory 49/478 X 3,282,328 1 1/1966 Mushro et al 160/349 3,323,256 6/1967 Reahard et al... 49/478 3,353,321 11/1967 Heilweil et al. 49/478 X 3,403,477 10/1968 Light 49/478 X FOREIGN PATENTS 900,492 12/ 1 953 Germany 49/478 Primary Examiner David J. Williamowsky Assistant ExaminerPhilip C. Kannan Attorney-Marechal, Biebel, French & Bugg ABSTRACT: A threshold assembly which includes a stationary lower threshold plate and a resiliently mounted upper sealing member, one of which incorporates a magnet so that the sealing member is brought into sealing engagement with the lower threshold plate by magnetic attraction when the door with which the assembly is associated is closed. A ferrous backing strip may be installed with the magnet to concentrate the magnetic flux field and increase the strength of the magnet and, if the member opposite the magnet is constructed of a nonferrous material, a second strip of ferrous material is mounted in that member.

IN VE'N TOR JOHN M. PROTZMAN A TTORIVE Y5 PATENTED SEP1 4 I97! FIG 1 MAGNETIC THRESHOLD CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A threshold assembly is usually associated with doors, especially exterior doors, to exclude drafts, dust, water and insect pests. One form of conventional threshold assembly includes an extruded threshold plate, usually of aluminum, which receives a hollow resilient member or bubble, usually of vinyl material, which resiliently engages the bottom of the door when the threshold plate is mounted on the doorsill. With this type of construction it is usually necessary to bevel the lower surface of the door so that it may slide easily over the surface of the vinyl bubble when the door is closed. Additionally, it will be readily apparent that the bubble is in a position in which it will be subjected to constant wear and could easily form an obstruction which could cause a person passing through a doorway to trip.

In another type of construction, as shown in the US. Pat. to Gregory, No. 2,611,158, a series of slots are formed in the lower edge of the door and a bar magnet mounted in each of the slots. A movable threshold plate is then pivotally mounted on the doorsill so that when the door is positioned over the sill the bar magnets will attract the pivotally mounted member and bring it up against the lower edge of the door. Aside from the fact that the milling of slots in the lower edge of the door, installation of the magnets therein with their attaching plates and cover plate will require several operations, it will be seen that with this type of construction there still remains an obstruction in the doorway which is both subject to wear and provides a possible obstruction over which a person passing through the doorway could trip.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A threshold assembly according to the present invention incorporates a lower, stationary threshold plate for attachment to the doorsill and a resiliently mounted sealing member which is attached to the lower edge of the door and is magnetically attracted to the threshold plate when the door is closed.

The magnet may be mounted in either the threshold plate or the sealing member. In either case because the movable sealing portion of the assembly is mounted on the lower edge of the door, it is not subjected to wear by traffic through the doorway nor does it present an obstruction over which a person passing through the doorway could trip.

The planar lower surface of the sealing member is positioned at a slight angle to the surface of the thresholdvmember so that closing of the door will cause the lower edgeof the sealing member to come in contact with the threshold first and then rock down to complete the seal over its entire surface. In this regard, the magnet is conveniently formed of an extruded flexible material so that if it is mounted in the sealing member it can deform with the resilient sealing member to compensate for unevenness of the door lower edge.

It will also be seen that the usual bubble is completely eliminated as well as the necessity of bevelling the lower surface of the door to accommodate the bubble.

Additionally, the cost of materials utilized in the threshold assembly are relatively inexpensive and installation is simplified, both because the number of components which must be attached to the doorway are minimal and also because the dimensions, such as the gap between the lower edge of the door and the sill, are no longer as critical as with prior types of threshold assemblies.

It will also be seen that a ferrous strip may be associated with the magnet as a backing plate to concentrate the magnetic flux lines and increase the pulling power of the magnet. If the magnet is mounted in the sealing member and the threshold plate is made of extruded aluminum, as is common, or some other nonferrous material, a channel may be formed on the interior of the threshold plate for the reception of a second ferrous strip to which the magnet of the sealing section will be attracted when the door is closed. Alternatively, if the magnet is mounted in the threshold plate, the second ferrous strip is mounted in the sealing member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation showing the com- I ponents of a threshold assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As seen in FIG. 1, a door 10 may have a drip plate 11 mounted thereon by means of screws 12 passing through slotted apertures 13 in an upstanding vertical leg 14 to which the drip plate is attached. The lower horizontally extending leg 15 extends beneath the lower edge of the door and carries a pair of downwardly extending, oppositely facing, substantially L-shaped members 16 which together define a substantially T- shaped channel 17. In this regard it will be noted that the base 18 of the slot 17 is angularly disposed with respect to the horizontal for a purpose to be presently explained.

Positioned beneath the lower edge of the door 10, is a sealing member 20 having a mounting flange 21 snugly received in the slot 17. Extending in spaced relationship to the mounting flange 21 is a pocket 22 receiving an elongated flexible magnet 23 and a strip of ferrous material 24 overlying the magnet in laminar relationship. A pair of resilient, reversely pleated connecting members 25 extend between and interconnect the mounting flange 21 and the pocket 22 and resiliently urge the pocket 22 upwardly toward the mounting flange.

A doorsill 30 is positioned beneath the lower edge of the door 10 and has affixed thereto by means of screws or the like 31 a stationary threshold plate 32. Alternatively, and in some cases, in addition to, the fasteners 31, strips of pressure sensitive tape 33 may be attached to oppositely extending feet 34 of the threshold plate. A pair of downwardly and oppositely facing flanges 35 define a longitudinally extending groove 36 beneath the upper surface of the threshold plate and received in the groove 36 and extending longitudinally of the threshold plate is a strip 37 of a ferrous material.

With the above construction it will be apparent that as the door is moved from an open position to the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the trailing edge 40 of the sealing member will be brought into proximity to the threshold plate to an extent such that the magnetic attraction between the magnet 23 and the ferrous strip 37 is sufficient to overcome the resilient pull of the pleated members 25 which are urging the magnet upwardly towards the lower edge of the door 10. As the trailing edge 40 is brought into contact with the threshold plate 32, the remainder of the sealing element pivots about the lower right-hand corner as seen in FIG. I, and completes the seal with the threshold plate. Because of the ferrous strip 24 the lines of magnetic flux are concentrated and increase the pulling power of the magnet.

While in the above embodiment the magnet is positioned in the sealing member, it will be apparent that the magnet could be mounted in the threshold and a ferrous strip positioned in the sealing member instead. Thus, as seen in FIG. 2, a strip 50 of ferrous material may be mounted in a pocket 51 similar to the pocket 22 and a magnet 52 mounted in a groove 53 formed by oppositely facing flanges 54 in the threshold plate 55. As in the previous embodiment, a strip of ferrous material 56 may be mounted in laminar relationship to the magnet to increase its magnetic pull.

In either of the above embodiments, the sealing member can conveniently be made of a resilient material such as polyvinylchloride and the ferrous strips of a mild steel. The magnet, particularly if it is mounted in the resilient sealing member may be any conventional flexible magnet which will usually be of extruded construction. The drip member 11 and the threshold plate may conveniently be formed of extruded aluminum, although it will be apparent that the threshold plate, for example, could be made of a ferrous material and the strip 37 eliminated.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: i

l. A threshold assembly comprising:

a. a horizontally extending leg member,

b. a vertically extending leg member formed integrally with said horizontally extending leg member, 7

c. means for attaching said vertically extending leg member to a vertically'extending surface of a door,

d. means defining a channel in said horizontally extending leg member,

e. a mounting flange received in said channel,

f. resilient connecting members extending from said mounting flange,

g. means defining an elongated pocket attached to said connecting members and extending in spaced, substantially parallel relationship to said mounting flange,

h. a threshold plate formed of a nonferrous material,

i. means for attaching said threshold plate to a door sill in opposition to said leg member,

j. means defining a groove extending longitudinally of said threshold plate, and

k. magnetic and magnetically attracted means mounted in said pocket and slot in opposition to each other when said leg member is positioned over said threshold plate,

1. said channel in said horizontally extending leg member being angularly disposed with respect to the horizontal whereby said pocket is free of substantial contact with said threshold until said pocket pivots into engagement with said threshold when brought into position thereover.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. said magnetic means is mounted in said pocket, and

b. said magnetically attracted means is mounted in said slot.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. said magnetic means is mounted in said slot, and

b. said magnetically attracted means is mounted in said pocket.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. a strip of ferrous material is positioned in laminar relationship to said magnetic means;

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

a. said resilient connecting members comprise a pair of reversely pleated members extending between and interconnecting said mounting flange and said pocket.

6. A threshold assembly comprising: a

a. a door having a substantially horizontally extending lower edge,

b. a substantially horizontally extending leg positioned beneath said lower edge in substantially parallel relationship thereto, i

c. an upstanding vertical leg extending from one edge of said horizontally extending leg,

d. means'attaching said vertical leg to said door, I

e. a pair of downwardly and inwardly extending, oppositely facing, substantially L-shaped members defininga substantially T-shaped channel having a base angularly disposed with respect to said horizontally extending leg,

f. a substantially planar mounting flange snugly received within said channel,

g. means defining an elongated pocket extending in spaced, substantially parallel relationship to said mounting flange,

h. an elongated, flexible magnet received in said elongated pocket with a strip of ferrous material positioned in overlying, laminar relationship thereto,

i. a pair of resilient, reversely pleated connecting members extending between and interconnecting said mounting flange and said pocket,

j. a doorsill positioned beneath said lower edge of said door,

k. a stationary threshold plate attached to said doorsill l. a pair of downwardly, inwardly and oppositely facing flanges extending beneath an upper surface of said threshold plate and defining a longitudinally entending groove, and

m. an elongated strip of ferrous material received in said groove,

n. said channel in said horizontally extending leg member being angularly disposed with respect to the horizontal 

1. A threshold assembly comprising: a. a horizontally extending leg member, b. a vertically extending leg member formed integrally with said horizontally extending leg member, c. means for attaching said vertically extending leg member to a vertically extending surface of a door, d. means defining a channel in said horizontally extending leg member, e. a mounting flange received in said channel, f. resilient connecting members extending from said mounting flange, g. means defining an elongated pocket attached to said connecting members and extending in spaced, substantially parallel relationship to said mounting flange, h. a threshold plate formed of a nonferrous material, i. means for attaching said threshold plate to a door sill in opposition to said leg member, j. means defining a groove extending longitudinally of said threshold plate, and k. magnetic and magnetically attracted means mounted in said pocket and slot in opposition to each other when said leg member is positioned over said threshold plate, l. said channel in said horizontally extending leg member being angularly disposed with respect to the horizontal whereby said pocket is free of substantial contact with said threshold until said pocket pivots into engagement with said threshold when brought into position thereover.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein: a. said magnetic means is mounted in said pocket, and b. said magnetically attracted means is mounted in said slot.
 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein: a. said magnetic means is mounted in said slot, and b. said magnetically attracted means is mounted in said pocket.
 4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein: a. a strip of ferrous material is positioned in laminar relationship to said magnetic means.
 5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein: a. said resilient connecting members comprise a pair of reversely pleated members extending between and interconnecting said mounting flange and said pocket.
 6. A threshold assembly comprising: a. a door having a substantially horizontally extending lower edge, b. a substantially horizontally extending leg positioned beneath said lower edge in substantially paralLel relationship thereto, c. an upstanding vertical leg extending from one edge of said horizontally extending leg, d. means attaching said vertical leg to said door, e. a pair of downwardly and inwardly extending, oppositely facing, substantially L-shaped members defining a substantially T-shaped channel having a base angularly disposed with respect to said horizontally extending leg, f. a substantially planar mounting flange snugly received within said channel, g. means defining an elongated pocket extending in spaced, substantially parallel relationship to said mounting flange, h. an elongated, flexible magnet received in said elongated pocket with a strip of ferrous material positioned in overlying, laminar relationship thereto, i. a pair of resilient, reversely pleated connecting members extending between and interconnecting said mounting flange and said pocket, j. a doorsill positioned beneath said lower edge of said door, k. a stationary threshold plate attached to said doorsill, l. a pair of downwardly, inwardly and oppositely facing flanges extending beneath an upper surface of said threshold plate and defining a longitudinally entending groove, and m. an elongated strip of ferrous material received in said groove, n. said channel in said horizontally extending leg member being angularly disposed with respect to the horizontal whereby said pocket is free of substantial contact with said threshold until said pocket pivots into engagement with said threshold when brought into position thereover. 